Ruler.



H. C. WATERS.-

RULER.

Y APPLICATION FILED lAN.2 |917.

mm3 mm web. 5,1918.

L l-Q Maf w @E ne gf- @Il a w i @y i @i I 3 s d w I i nanars warnnsg' orBOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

BULER,

Specication of Letters lPatent.

Patented Feb. 5, tgl.

Application led January 2, 1917. Serial No. 140,026.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that l, HENRY C. WATnRs, a citizen of the United States,residing at Boston, in .the county of SuliolkandState of Massachusetts,have invented new .and

useful Improvements in Rulers, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention is an improved flexible ruler, especially adapted for useupon curved surfaces, and consists in certain details of con struction,by which it is rendered very convenient-in operation and accurate inplacing the ruled lines. A

ln the drawings, Figure l shows an upper, top or plan View of myimproved ruler;

Fig. 9; shows a View of the underside;

Fig. 3 is a front edge View of the device;

Fig. l is a perspective view; and

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section on line 5-5 of Fig. l, looking in thedirection of the arrows.

lt is obvious in ruling in the large account books in common use today,the curvature of the leaf toward the binding edge, at the center of thebook, renders it dillicult to use the ordinary stid ruler, which ispractically inflexible and has to be rocked upon the curved surface asthe line is drawn over that part of the page. To meet this ditlicultyHexible rulers have in the past been invented,

'capable of being flexed by pressure, into conformity with the surfaceto be ruled, but so far as l know no ruler has heretofore been knownhaving this flexible capacity which could in fact be flexed by the userin operan tion.

My improved ruler is made up of two sheets, a, b, of hard, flexible andresilient material, preferably thin sheet spring brass, which are spacedapart to a suitable distance by several sheets of HeXible material, c,such for example as blotting paper. The strips, a, I), are connectedtogether by a slot and pin connection by means of pins, d, d, which aresecured t0 the under strip Z and pass through slots c in the paperstrips and enter slots c in the upper strip o, heads, d", retaining theengagement while permitting longitudinal movement of the parts withreference to one another.

The upper strip, a, is wider than the strips, c, and projects to providea ruling straight edge. 'The upper Strip a is also larger than the otherstrips, along its ruling edgxe, forming ears, c, projecting at either @n0 To the middle of the strip, o, on its upper surface, is secured a.rearwardly projecting flat `handle E, of thin metal, similar to that ofwhich the strip, o, is formed, and suitably shaped to fit the palm ofthe hand,

leaving the fingers free.

ln its best form, as illustrated in the` drawings, the strips a, b, arepermanently set to a slight regular and symmetrical curve. In operation,the curve required is rarely symmetrical, as for example, upon approachto the bound edge of an account book leaf, one end of the ruled line andruler will be the leaf begins a rapid curve. With mv device, the ruleris manipulated and held in proper position by means of the handle lll,which is received firmly in the palm of the hand, the fingers being freeto be spread and severally press upon the ruler at several points in thelength of the ruler, thus forcing close conformity throughout the lengthof the ruler.

My improved ruler is especially useful in ruling upon curved surfaces,the freedom of the fingers making it possible to press the ruler intoclose conformity with any curve, so that the entire under surface is infrictionalengagement with the page, causing theruler to maintain itsadjusted position firmly, while the ruling proceeds. A slight release ofpressure causes the ruler to resume its normal curve, resting on thepage merely at its ends, so that it can be slid about the page with.ease. With my ruler, ruling at the foot of the page is as easy as at anyother point. llhe fingers are not cramped in operating it and placingand adjusting can be accomplished in much less time than usual and heldin. accurate placement with minimum pressure or exertion. ln modernsystems of accounting loose leaf ledgers are commonly employed and inthese the leaves are ruled only from top to bottom for Egures, theentries being typewritten without any crosswise ruling. In ruling uponsuch sheets it is desirable that a ruled line should be properly endedat the appropriate longi rudinal line, and the ears e, and square edgesc provide for this. The edge c which is perpendicular to the ruling edgea, is alined with the longitudinal ruling, the ear e crossing the sameand in this way the ruled line can be brought accurately up to thelontudinal line.,

In operation the handle E is placed Well up in the palm of the hand, oneedge` in contact with the ball 'of the thuinb, the" fingers spread andengaging the ruler, a, at three or four points along its length` toforce it :into accurate conformity with the particular curve oftheparticular page and into frictional engagement throughout its'lengtli.The ruling edge, a, is Well above and in ad-vanceiofl the: otherpa-rts'of the ruler and when the ruling is complete ay releaseofpressure permitsthe ruler t0 lift itself perpendicularly from the page,thus avoiding any possibility of smearing the page should the rulingedge by accidentzhave been fouled by ink.

. ing. from the side of the ruler opposite to the' ruling edge andadapted to be grasped by thethumb and the palm of the hand.

2. A flexible curved ruler, provided with an olset handle projectingfrom the side of the ruler opposite to the ruling edge and adapted to begrasped by the palm of the hand, leaving the fingers 'free to press uponthe rulers.

.Signed byl me at Boston, Massacliusetts.l this'QSth day of December,1916.

HENRY C. WATERS.

,Gobiesfellswgentmyfbefcbine'for ve cents eaclnlby; addresslngtheCommissioner of Patents.

Y fwashingtonfl). C.

